Now the company has found an U.S. distributor in Tribune Broadcasting, which will launch Rescue 3 on its stations in primetime in fall 2013. Tribune has picked up the series with a massive two-year order with a 104-week guarantee. “We are very happy that first-run scripted programming is back in syndication,” said Sean Compton, President of Programming and Entertainment at Tribune. Indeed, Rescue 3 is a throwback to old times, when action-adventure series like Baywatch, Xena, Hercules and Andromeda heated up the syndication market. There have been no new entries in the genre since the end of Legend Of The Seeker two years ago. Tribune has been adventures with its pickups recently; the station group also is behind a new late-night talk show starring Arsenio Hall, also a genre that had disappeared from syndication.

Rescue 3, the first project to come out of Emmett/Furla’s TV division launched in August, centers on Southern California’s elite multi-agency task force Rescue 3, which consists of the cream-of-the-crop from Los Angeles Lifeguard, Firefighter and Coast Guard agencies. Each episode will center on big-action rescues involving all three services. Lundgren, repped by Gersh and manager Craig Baumgarten, will play Captain John Mathews, a reluctant hero and career firefighter and lifeguard who leads a highly specialized unit made up of experts in air, fire and water rescue. Gregory J. Bonann (Baywatch) executive produces Rescue 3, which he created with Tai Collins.Jim & John Thomas (Mission To Mars) will write alongside Collins. Sierra/Engine and Aldamisa International are handling the series’ international sales.

3 Comments

tv • on Oct 8, 2012 4:34 pm

I don’t think this was the first foray, I believe the john woo produced “blackjack” was conceived as a tv pilot. But it sucked.

Zeke • on Oct 8, 2012 4:34 pm

One has to wonder sometimes about Sean Compton and the way he is running the Tribune affiliates and their programming. He has come up with some crazy ideas and some very controversial ones during his tenure but with possible new ownership, maybe they bring in someone who can really rejuvinate this staggering group of stations and present programming everyone will enjoy once again.

GS1967 • on Oct 8, 2012 4:34 pm

Crazy and controversial ideas? What has Tribune done crazy and controversial? I don’t see Arsenio as crazy, risky yes. How is renewing 2 1/2 Men controversial unless you include Charlie’s antics. Tribune is smart in providing more first run programming, the days of being off net stations are less and less appealing.